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Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Song of Songs 2:8-14 or Zephaniah 3:14-18A
Psalms 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
Luke 1:39-45
Summary
In the Gospel reading, Luke tells the well-loved Advent story of Mary’s visit
to her cousin, Elizabeth. This passage includes Elizabeth’s greeting, “Most
blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb….” Re-
ferring to Mary as “the mother of my Lord,” Elizabeth tells her that upon
hearing Mary’s greeting, “the infant in my womb leaped for joy.”
Reflection
When I was a child, well-meaning teachers often presented a view of Mary
that was a bit too saccharine for me – a Mary who was more subservient
than obedient – a Mary who relished the idea of hundreds of school children
processing in blazing hot sun during May as we sang hymns that, to this day,
I generally dislike. Mary did not seem like a very interesting person in those
days, but, as an adult, I began to appreciate this courageous young woman –
a young girl of about 13 who finds herself pregnant with a child not fathered
by Joseph to whom she was betrothed. In today’s reading, soon after learn-
ing she is pregnant, Mary traveled to visit her cousin in Judah, located in the
hill country about 80 miles from her home in Nazareth. We know little
about that journey except that scholars tell us that it would have been dan-
gerous for a young woman walking about 20 miles per day or even traveling
by caravan. In my imagination, I envision a young woman needing a respite
and time to process all that had happened to her. It may have been a time
of confusion – and perhaps even a little darkness. She must have felt some
solidarity with Elizabeth, an older cousin past child-bearing age who is preg-
nant as well. She may have sought to be in a safe place miles away from her
home. We don’t know. We do know that
she was a strong young woman who faced the
unknown with grace and determination. Dur-
ing Advent, we hear the gospels and sing
about John the Baptist “preparing the way of
the Lord.” Here, we read of Elizabeth ac-
knowledging her young cousin, seemingly an
unexpected visitor, as “the mother of my